What can Nova Peris offer you?

Jan 23, 2013 , 1:42 PM by Vicki Kerrigan

Do you think the NT Labor party has been shafted by the PM?

Yesterday, Julia Gillard endorsed former Olympian Nova Peris as the number 1 Senate candidate for the Labor party in the NT. In doing that, the PM bypassed the Labor party pre selection process and it appears she also offended the current Senator Trish Crossin. Senator for the last 15 years, Ms Crossin, received a phone call from the PM the night before the announcement to explain that the PM would be supporting Ms Peris.

The question for you is: what can the Gold medal winning Olympic Hockey player and former Australian of the Year, Nova Peris offer you. Take a listen to this interview.

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

With no disrespect to Nova Peris, it is just another example of what this PM will do to stay in power. There are plenty of footprints and knife marks on backs already that lay testament to this manic desire of hers. If she is feeling so 'remorseful' of the fact that no indigenous person is in the N.Y. Parlliament, why is she not backing the Aboriginal politician who is also standing for pre-selection? Why has it taken so long for this 'remorse' to surface -apart from the fact that there is an Election due this year? Now her footprints are all over the N.T..

Wow NT citizens are being railroaded by the PM, to loose an articulate hardworking senator as crossin is, to undermine the legitimate pre-selection process of an outstandingly politically credentialed Indigenous woman like Marion Scrymgour, for an inarticulate individual such as Nova Peris is a disgrace. Territorians say No to Nova.

Ths is a real kick in the guts for all NT ALP members, it is an absolute abuse of executive power, and will do nothing to help secure the seats of Solomon and Lingiari and could put at risk the Labor senate seat in the Territory. No disrespect to Nova, I do not know her, she should have joined the party and thrown her hat in to the ring with Trish and Marion, and let the party process run it's course, this kind of intervention from the federal executive is normally only used in extreme situations where the usual process is not working or has failed. I am, like many other party members in the NT very concerned about the damage this will cause our great party.

This is just another blunder by our Prime Minister, where are her minders and mentors, how is it that we, the public see the error and injustice of this action, but the Prime Minister and those around her do not. I have never been so disappointed, or embarrassed in a Prime Minister as i am now.

Gillard knows she is gone at the election this year. She also knows that history will remember her as the wrecking ball that destroyed the ALP. Her selection of Peris is a disingenuous attempt by her to cast herself in a better light for the history books. The fact that she is prepared to exploit an aboriginal person to bolster her credibility speaks volumes as to her true commitment to indigenous people.